Lake County Biographies

Dr. Harry Kavanaugh Morrison was born April 19, 1876 in Kentucky and died December 12, 1955 in Leesburg. He married first 15 Apr 1913, Miriam Corley Pratt, no children. They divorced. He married second, 19 May 1925, Sarah Osborn Potter, d/o Samuel Potter & Luella Folks. She was born April 16, 1904 and died September 16, 1990. Sarah married second, Claude Revere Horn, Apr 1960. Children of Sarah and Harry Morrison were Margaret Mary (Mar 30, 1926-Jan 3, 2002) who married Henry Wade Rucker Jr (Mar 30, 1928-Jul 10, 2009) and Henry Randolph (Nov 3, 1927-living). Rucker children: daughters, S. Alyson (Philip) Ruggeri of Dover, Ohio and Linda I. (Steven) Minnix of Lady Lake; grandsons, Philip and Andrew Ruggeri and Charles and Matthew Brown.

The next owners of the house built by E. H Mote were Bishop Henry Clay Morrison and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Stoner, who had moved to Leesburg in 1908. Electricity was installed by Dr. Harry K. Morrison while the family lived there. Bishop Morrison worked with the church now known as Morrison United Methodist Church, and it was renamed for the beloved Bishop Morrison, who had died in 1921. Ironically, the first wedding performed there was the Bishop's son, Dr. and Mrs. H.K Morrison.

Dr. Morrison's office was on the southwest corner of 6th and Magnolia Streets. He birthed over 3000 babies in Leesburg, and it is not unusual to hear someone say, "I am a Morrison baby."

contributed by GFAHS